Friday, December 26, 2008

On December 23, 2008 at 6:30pm Lee and I welcomed our baby girl into the world. She weighed 6lbs 15oz and measured 19.25in in length. Giving birth to her was the most incredible experience of my life as well as the hardest. I was so lucky to have both Lee and Rosie there with me. They were an incredible support team!

I was in labor for about 18 hours...that just sounds horrendous now. I labored for about 11 hours without medication. It was the most intense back labor. I told Lee (as I was puking from pain) that it felt like I had jumped off a 2 story building and shattered my back in 20 places. After that, I decided we needed to go to the hospital where I asked for an epidural as soon as possible. Ahhhh...the relief was incredible. I labored painlessly from 10am until 2pm when the nurse checked me and said I was fully dilated and ready to go. I waited for the epidural to wear off as much as possible and started pushing at 3pm. I pushed for three hours in more positions than I can count. It was like delivery style yoga! It turned out Cora was almost sunny-side up and couldn't get her little noggin under my pelvic bone. This is probably what was causing the back labor. Dr. Wong, my delivery doctor, came in to talk about my options. He suggested using forceps for three uterine contraction cycles. If that didn't work, we would have to do a c-section. So, long story short, I quit pushing at 6pm and waited for an epidural boost and the forceps delivery entourage to arrive. In my delivery room, I had the anesthesiologist, anesthesiologist resident, delivery doc, resident doc, student doc, two NICU nurses, and my nurse. The forceps worked with great success and Cora was delivered in only a few minutes. The whole day was so worth it.

Only minutes after the epidural. I can't even explain how much better I felt.

Lee patiently (or not-so-patiently) waiting.

Houston! We have a BABY!

Cora was just handed to me and Lee is conducting the interview. I haven't watched the video yet. It should be interesting.

Doing a bit of bonding with my little girl. My eyes felt like they were going to fall out of my head. I am glad to see they looked like hell, too. :)

Cora has a full head of brown hair, big eyes, and a little birthmark on her left knee. Cora and I spent the night at the hospital while Lee and Rosie went home to get some sleep. It was so sweet to be able to bond with my little girl over night. She prefers to be held most of the time, which I love!!! We brought her home on Christmas Eve. Talk about the perfect gift from Santa! The first couple days have been long as we are all spending time to get to know the likes and dislikes of Cora. She is the most precious little pearl.

Feeling better after being moved to my overnight room. Cora had not had her bath yet, so she is looking a bit rough.

Bath time! Lee went with Cora to the nursery to watch. Cora did NOT enjoy this. Lee said she screamed her head off. She looks like a cherry tomato in this picture.

Stephanie and Cora!!!! Stephanie, Doug, and her sis, Emily were able to stop by the hospital on the way to the airport. How lucky was I to have her visit before heading home? I won't be able to see her again until February. Thanks, Steph!!

Dressing Cora to take her home. We made it home around lunch time on December 24, 2008.

The proud Daddy with his little girl in her carseat. Despite the picture (she only cried for about 30 seconds), she did incredible in the car. Not a peep!

When this little baby is tired, look out. She slept in this position for about an hour. I was burping her and she laid her head in my hand and took a snooze. She looked like a little elf in a pink candy cane sleeper. Say it with me, Awwwww!

Rosie--aka Cousin Awesome-- having some sweet Cora time.

Lee and his little Cora. She is definitely cozy in his arms.

Our internet is acting up which is why this post is so tardy. We'll hopefully be getting it up and running again soon. I am a bit tired...ok, so really tired. Check back soon for some more pictures and updates.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Yep, you read the title right. We are in the single digit countdown. Only 9, NINE, 9 days to go until December 21! I will probably go past my due date, but it is still fun to be in single digits. We've been doing quite a bit the last couple days to try to hurry this labor thing up. Eating curry, long walks, and tobogganing. Ok, you're all right. I can't fool any of you. Of course we haven't been taking long walks since it is much too stressful on my body. :)

We finally put the carseat into the car. We were really thinking that was going to be a huge milestone in getting ready for the baby. It turned out to be incredibly boring and didn't live up to any of our expectations. Woo Hoo! We're driving around with an empty carseat! Maybe I should stick a stuffed animal in there for a while. Puppy? Where are you?

Now, for the big news. We had our biophysical profile ultrasound yesterday. The results are in....drum role please.... Mom and Baby are A-Okay. Of course we are. I really wasn't doubting it. I did have my hospital bag in the car just in case, but seriously I didn't expect anything to be wrong. Cora just decided to be ornery the last couple of weeks and "appear" smaller on the outside. Our little Houdini. She is measuring back to 37 weeks this week. Already a stinker.

Cora's weighing in at 6 lbs 13 oz according to ultrasound measurements (good size for 38.5 weeks). I am thanking the pregnancy fairies/gods/whomever-may-be-concerned that she is not a behemoth of a baby. Phew. In case all y'all didn't know. I was a fat, huge, butterball baby. So fat my eyes squinted shut. U-G-L-Y!. Hahaha. Of course my Mom doesn't think so. But, really, I think my sister takes the cake for ugliest baby I've ever seen. She looked like a cross between and alien and a frog. I can write this because she doesn't have internet nor a passport, so she can't kick my butt. She created an incredibly cute kid, so there is hope for me.

It was interesting to see Cora on the ultrasound this late in the game. She still appears to have some plump lips on her. Lee swears she's going to be a runner. Her thigh bones seem so long! She will be a runner if she has her dad's gazelle-like legs and her momma's coordination, agility, and grace. Sorry, Lee, but I can kick your butt to the moon and back when it comes to sports. Anyday, anywhere. :) He also never reads the blog, so he won't know of the threat. Hahaha.

I have officially started laboring! The doctor gave me a boost by "stretching" me. DAMN! Did that feel good or what! Next week should be a lot of fun with Dr. Tankel. My cousin, Rosita Posita, is coming on Tuesday. We're going Edmonton club hopping when she gets here. If Cora is here, Lee can watch her. She'll be a few days old by then hopefully. If not, maybe the liquor will be enough to send me into labor. Hahaha! No, we are planning dinner on Wednesday with some friends that are still in town and then heading to the Legislature to look at lights and listen to the community choir. Seriously, the lights are freaking awesome! And, we're decorating the tree on Tuesday night. We'll play it by ear the rest of the time. If Cora is mega late, we might head to Ft Edmonton to go on a sleigh ride. I am so pumped for her to come. I haven't seen my Red Feather cousin since my wedding! In fact, I have only been lucky enough to see 2 of my cousins (Paula and Zach) this year. Poor me. I puffy heart my cousins.

Seriously, I am going to see if the Sears guy has came yet. Hopefully the next entry is titled I'M IN LABOR!!! Bye for now.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

This last weekend was my 26th birthday. Lee took me to a fabulous rotating restaurant called La Ronde Friday night. We had such a good time and ate incredibly good food. We both had wild mushroom and pheasant crepes for the starter. My entree was white-tailed deer and Lee had bison ribeye with half a lobster tail. It was a little bit interesting getting dressed for this date. I needed pantyhose because it was cold, but of course mine don't fit. Well, they weren't supposed to fit, but I made them. HOLY UNCOMFORTABLE! I thought I was going to die. Note to self: Next pregnancy, buy thigh-highs. At least my legs looked tight and sexy. Hahaha! Here are a few pictures.

As you can see, Lee can really wine and dine. He's always taken me out for really incredible birthday dinners every year since we've been together. Well, with the exception of last year when I was playing in Antarctica. The best part of my birthday dinners is I never know where we are going. I'm glad I get to celebrate so many more birthday dinners with him. I am already looking forward to a babysitter, bottle of wine, and good food next year. Bring it on 27!

Lee also gets me very sweet, thoughtful gifts for my birthday. My first birthday that we celebrated, he gave me the pearl necklace I am sporting in the pictures. It was also the same one I wore to my wedding. This year, he gave me a framed print of The Singing Butler. It is gorgeous!

We had planned to walk over to the Legislature Building on Saturday to check out the Christmas lights. Guess what? It was RAINING!! Can you believe it? December 6th and it was raining in Edmonton, Alberta! Lee made fajitas and popcorn balls and we hid inside for the rest of the weekend. There is finally snow on the ground. I was starting to get worried, our Little Winter Baby wasn't going to come home in snow. Hopefully, this snow sticks around and the flakes keep falling. I love the winter, especially since I don't drive anywhere.

This next picture had Lee and me in stitches. Lee swears my belly looks fake. I guess my belly is living up to the "watermelon" inside. It really does look like I am hiding something under that dress.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Today we had our 37 week doctor appointment. Good news and bad news in the land of babies. First, the good news. My blood pressure went down (Woo Hoo!), fetal heart rate was fantastic, my body has made no progress in starting labor (not sure if this is good news, but it definitely isn't bad news), gained 4.5 pounds in one week (hahaha, again, not sure if this is good news...), and Cora is the jiving baby she's always been.

Bad news is I've gained 4.5 pounds in one week. Just kidding! Really, I am still measuring small. Last week I measured at 35 weeks when I should have measured at 36. This week I measured 33 weeks when I should have been at 37 weeks. Hmmmm? Needless to say, I am going in for a biophysical profile (BPP) next Thursday. The BPP measures fetal heart rate, muscle tone, movement, breathing, and the amount of amniotic fluid. Dr. Tankel says I could be measuring small for a number of reasons. He said quite often it is just the position of the baby throwing the measurement off, but it could also be low amniotic fluid. Low amniotic fluid has the potential to cause fetal stress, which obviously isn't good. So, there you have it. Basically, I don't look as big as I should. Maybe that is why people don't give up their seat for me on the train. Nah, it's because they're a bunch of ill-mannered Canadian college students. :)

Lee and I have a new hobby. Instead of renting, we decided to start buying DVDs on sale at the supermarket. This week we've watched the Bourne Ultimatum, Talladega Nights, and Willow. It's a lot of fun and will be a fun way to spend time together when Cora gets put down for bed. We have officially decided our TV sucks though. After all these years of me saying absolutely no new TV and definitely no cable, I am seriously changing my mind. We could definitely use one that you can see from more than 3 ft away. Aaaaand, cable might come in handy when I am up all night with a babe. We'll see. With that, I think I'll close with a picture of our current TV. All the cords hanging to the right is our high tech stereo system. A Walkman CD player or Ipod hooked up to old computer speakers. Of course, our alarm clock was moved out there so we could listen to 100.3 The BEAR in the morning. Oh, and yes, some of those are VHS tapes next to the TV. ;)

Monday, December 1, 2008

As I've promised for over a week now, we have pictures! I am officially 37 weeks and 1 day. That means I am full term. This whole pregnancy has gone by crazy fast. Lee and I did some shopping...er, I mean buying... on Saturday. I think we are locked and loaded for C to arrive. Tonight is the hospital tour! Lee and I are super pumped. We both forgot about our breastfeeding class, so we'll have to wing that one. I am sure the nurses, friends, Internet, and family will be plenty of help.

Belly picture at 37 weeks. If I look huge, it is because Lee cooked the most fabulous turkey dinner yesterday. ;) I thought these were funny because you can see how much my belly changes throughout the day. The first one was taken this morning by Lee. My belly looks really saggy. The second one was taken this afternoon. My belly looks so much higher! I think she nestles down into my lower belly during the night because I am always sore in the hips when I wake up. I think I may soon need a crane to hoist my butt out of bed. Lee isn't much help. I think he finds my grunts and groans amusing in the morning. Although I've been getting a lot of back and foot rubs lately.

The car seat we decided to buy. We liked this one for a gender neutral option. I can't tell you how badly I wanted the pink cherry blossom one.

The "organized" change table. I think we finally have everything we might need. The bunny on top is a gift to Cora from Mommy and Daddy. We realized we hadn't bought her something special, just necessary items.

Lastly, these are the 4 fabrics for the crib sheet. Lee helped me pick them out. The green one on the bottom is the completed crib sheet. The blue and purple/green/cream ones are flannel while the other 2 are cotton.

We almost have our hospital bags packed. Since we'll only be a few minutes from home, we're not planning on taking a whole lot. If our stay is longer than normal, Lee can go home for more things. Normal stays in Edmonton are under 24 hours. They like to get you in to the comfort of your own home. Nurses do housecalls to check on things.

I am feeling quite good. Today is a bit of a swollen day, so don't inspect my feet. Hahaha. We see the doc on Thursday, so expect another update around at the end of the week. Despite feeling good most of the time, I have some very hormonal days. I completely broke down on discovering more stretch marks! I know that stretch marks come with the territory, but why can't they give me a bit of a warning. I found ones on my belly the day after the doctor told me I was measuring small! I think this is some kind of mean joke mother nature is playing on me. Kind of like the stretch marks on my boobs yet I am still wearing the same bras as I had before I got pregnant. Explain that one!

Alas, it still hasn't snowed in Edmonton. My birthday is Saturday and it doesn't even feel like winter yet. Bah Hum Bug! I think I will get Christmas set up the weekend of my birthday. That way Cora can come home to a house ready for the holidays! Enough of me droning on and on. Happy December to everyone!

Thursday, November 27, 2008

It is definitely time to update this blog. I am just about finished with my 36th week of pregnancy. This is exciting for 2 reasons. The first being I have officially entered my 9th and final month of pregnancy. That is of course assuming I don't go too far over my due date which will send me full speed into my 10th month. The second reason is that I will be full term this coming Sunday! Yippee!!

We had our weekly doctor appointment today. This is probably the first doctor appointment that was a complete success. My blood pressure was high...123/87. Yeah, I know that isn't in the extremely high range, but I have normally have low blood pressure. I have been hanging right around 105/75 the entire pregnancy. My mom has a history of preeclampsia and a first sign is high blood pressure. Needless to say, my doctor is taking some precautions.

On top of high blood pressure, my uterus (and therefore Cora) is measuring at least a full week behind. It has been right on this whole pregnancy until now. Alone, all of these symptoms aren't huge problems. However, with my family history (genetics) and all symptoms happening at once, my doctor is not taking any chances.

Enough of the downer news!! Let's focus on some fun stuff!! The most exciting news we currently have is that we found a photographer. She is great. I can't wait to see the pictures she'll take of Cora. Her website is http://www.photosbyiasha.com/. Site 2 focuses only on newborns while site 1 is newborns, babies, and kids. I love the fact that she takes both black and white and color photos. So many photographers I found only did b&w. While I love b&w (especially for newborns), I really love color for babies and kids. AND, a photographer who shoots beautiful color photography probably knows how to use their camera better. Anyways, check her site out.

More great news is that I have finished my first sewing project using a machine. I made a crib sheet for Cora's crib. Of course, I could never have done this without the teaching and mentoring of Eva. She is so dang crafty! The bird mobile is almost done as well. This weekend, we have to have the nursery done with the recent medical "issues". Looks like we'll be busy. Or should I say it looks like Lee will be busy? I am definitely taking things easy.

My birthday is right around the corner and lucky me has already received my first gift. Mom and Dad bought me my very own sewing machine!! It should get here on Tuesday, so I'll be able to sew up the other 3 crib sheets. Thanks Mom and Dad! I can't wait.

Of course, I don't have any pictures to post again. Lee will take some of me and my belly in the next couple days. I'll get them up ASAP. I'll also post some nursery pics.

We hope everyone had a delightfully delicious Thanksgiving. Lee and I are going to try for a small one on Sunday. Hope we're not too tired. :)

May the next blog entry be soon and a bit more witty. I am tired tonight and can't think of anything too funny. Other than Lee doesn't know how to park in a metered parking spot... We will always be the rednecks from Wyoming. You can take a boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of a boy.

Friday, November 14, 2008

What a busy week and a half of baby stuff we have had!! First off, on Saturday, we had our prenatal class. That was loads of fun (note the sarcasm). Then came our 34 week doctor appointment yesterday. So, I'll start with class.

We had this class from 9-4. LOOOONG day! It started off really well. Lee and I were actually on time! As we were waiting, I was telling Lee that at least one dad will pass out because of the graphic nature of the childbirth video. I was making up everything, but he was taking the bait. To be honest, I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to handle it. Lee just kept bragging that he had already seen one during sex ed in high school. Yep, Gretna still thinks babies come from storks I guess. :) The first half of the morning went by smoothly and the childbirth video was great. I actually enjoyed watching it and now feel even more confident in my abilities. We all stood up to head out for a coffee break and some dude barely made it to the door before he passed out and whacked his head on the table. I had never seen anyone pass out and this guy was down for the count. Kind of scary for the first 30 seconds and then tremendously funny for the next 10 minutes (after we knew he was OK of course). Lee and I were the 12 year olds in the corner biting our cheeks and trying not to laugh. The highlight of course was his very, very pregnant wife pushing wussy husband out of the room in a wheel chair to see a doc upstairs. They didn't come back. Say it with me...BRUISED EGO! Hahaha.

After break came breathing techniques. I got absolutely nothing from this part of class. Not because of the instructor, not because I don't think breathing works, but simply because my husband could not stop making jokes and saying absolutely ridiculous things. I couldn't focus because Lee was constantly asking me what I was focusing on and then suggesting I change my focus to some other object. The dads were also shown ways to massage the lower back in the event of back labor. Hopefully Cora faces the way she should during labor and we can avoid this situation because we'll fail miserably. Turns out, Lee cannot follow directions. Oh wait, I already knew that. When Instructor/Nurse/Lady said to press with the palm of hand, Lee tickled with the tips of fingers. When she said to push thumbs in a downward and inward direction on my lower back, Lee was rubbing circles on my shoulder blades. AHHHH! Seriously, Lee? And to top off the morning session, a quote from every one's favorite comedian, Lee. "Look at all these keeners. They're taking this child birth thing so seriously!" Hmmmm? Should be an interesting day when I go into labor. But, if he can stay in his funny ways, we should be fine.

The afternoon was pretty uneventful. I learned some tricks about caring for a newborn that I hadn't heard from my Mom yet. Also, important things to stock our medicine cabinet with. Vitamin D supplements for the baby is highly recommended up here because of how short the days are! I would never have thought. Although I would guess my pediatrician would have filled me in. I am not sure Lee got as much out of the afternoon session. You might ask why? Well, Dear Lee was fast asleep in his chair. I about died. I understand the room was warm and the info may have been dry, but really? Was a snooze necessary? I pushed him so hard he almost fell out of his chair. Now that would have been funny!

The whole day reminded us so much of the good ol' days as students back at UW. It is good to see that Lee, the one who dresses in a suit for work, hasn't changed a bit. I am sure Caitlin and Brendan will get a kick out of reading this section. They saw Lee in his finest form during classes at UW. I was only lucky enough to have him in one or two courses. The stories and memories are all flooding back.

On to topic 2. Have I mentioned how much I absolutely love my OB/GYN? Dr. Tankel is the best. He doesn't sit in the examining room and dwell over every detail. He tells me what I need to know, answers my questions in depth, and always always always gives his honest opinion. AND, he is funny. He is South African, but has lived in Canada for about 10 years I believe. He has the most unusual South African/British/Canadian accent. It is just great.

Anyways, I had my 34 week check up yesterday. We have started to get to the end. I only have 4 appointments to go until my due date. I have one every week starting at 36 weeks. This was my first pelvic exam to check the position of the baby and to see if I had started dilating. Good news is no dilation (I DO NOT want to go before I am full term). And, Cora is head down and very low for this point in my pregnancy. Warning: details here have freaked some out. Dr. Tankel could feel her head! I thought that was totally cool.

Her heart beat has slowed down which is a sign of nearing the end. She was at 142 bpm yesterday. Everything was right on track! I am trying really hard to keep my blood pressure down since my mom had pre-eclampsia and it is inherited. Michelle didn't get it, and I haven't shown any signs of it yet. My blood pressure has been low throughout this pregnancy which has been very comforting.

Dr. Tankel also referred us to a pediatrician. We will be going to Dr. Galante who works about 5 blocks from where we live! Dr. Tankel and his wife also go to Dr. Galante. He sounds like he is just like Tankel, so I think we'll be a good fit.

As a nice note, Dr. Tankel said Lee and I are one of his favorite patients. We've had an easy pregnancy and he said it is because we are the most chill couple ever! In all seriousness though, this pregnancy has been great probably because I am lucky. Yes, I feel pregnant. Very pregnant. But I have had minor swelling in my lower legs that I helped by putting my feet up, no heartburn, no morning sickness (sorry Linds) and a very supportive and understanding husband. Yes, I have hormonal mood swings like you couldn't believe, achy joints, bad skin, and so much more. But, all those are normal to pregnancy. I've been pretty lucky. Hopefully Cora is as good of a kid outside the womb as she's been inside. It's a toss up though. I was angelic (ask my parents) and Lee sounds like he was, well, a boy. Ralphie from A Christmas Story to be exact. :)

I don't have any exciting pictures this week of us, but I did get some of my niece, Mya. She is adorable! I think I would be doing a disservice to blog readers if I didn't post some of these photos.

Mya was Pebbles for Halloween. She really got into the pumpkin carving, but it took her a while to realize the pumpkin was not a chair. My sisters dog, Gar, is now with them. Mya loves Gar. She even cries when he goes outside without her. Michelle now has to leave the back door open so Mya can follow Gar wherever he goes. I can't believe my little niece will be a big sister in 6 1/2 months! Michelle and Santo are expecting another! Should be a good looking kid based on the photo below. :) Wow, Santo, you are one zexy man. Michelle, are you ready for a hyperactive, blond hair, blue eyed, mini-Santo?

Friday, November 7, 2008

Yesterday was Lee's 26th birthday!! His birthday is always such a circus for me. I have never in my life met someone whose birthday is truly their favorite day of the year. Cute? Maybe. Annoying? Definitely. I always stress out about gifts and such because I know how much he loves this birthday. But, when in doubt I rely on the trustworthy item that always make him happy...knives, guns, and fishing rods (see previous post). This birthday was no different other than I was pregnant.

I had big plans to surprise him with a nice dinner, MJ's famous chocolate birthday cake, presents, and dressed up wife. I was going for the whole works. On top of that, I wanted him to come home to a nicely cleaned house. I had my work cut out for me. I have been taking Tuesdays and Thursdays off to rest because I get so worn down, so it worked out perfectly that his birthday was on a Thursday.

Well, the day got off to a horrible start. First, I decided I was going to shave my legs so I could wear a dress. My God, that was hard. I was pissed and bleeding from nicks. Cora was pissed because I kept squishing her. That sucked. I decided then I would just wrap my hair in a towel and lie down. Well, I fell asleep. Surprise, surprise! When I woke up, I only had about 3 hours to clean, bake a cake, go to the grocery, get ready, cook dinner, wrap his presents. I got the vacuuming done while the cake was baking. My hair didn't even get combed. The presents got wrapped. And, Lee went to the grocery with me and helped me cook his own dinner and finish the cake. I was fighting back tears when he came home, but he was just happy that I at least tried. The whole time I was singing in my head Deana Carter's Did I shave my legs for this? Old country song.

Lee getting ready to eat! We were pretty full after this dinner.

Me serving up the dinner. The apron looks like a muu-muu. Hahaha.

Everything turned out OK though. The pork chops were a bit dry. We added too much milk to the frosting, but it still tasted delicious! And, the presents were a success. I bought Lee some work shirts with ties to accompany. He also got a "valet tray". Translation: man jewelry box. He is starting to get quite a collection of cuff links so I thought he needed a place to keep them and his watch and loose change. And, finally, he got a Rapala fish fillet knife. Can you guess which item he was most excited about? Hahaha.

Lee looking stylish in one of his new shirts and tie. He wore this outfit to work on his birthday. :)

You may be wondering, what does this have to do with Cora Madison? Well, Lee's and my 26th birthdays will be the last birthdays that we celebrate as a married-only couple. I will probably just make my 26th birthday sans baby. I guess there is a chance that she could be here before December 6th since I will be full term on November 30. Either way, next year will be a whole 'nother story. Cora will be nearing a year old so I am sure we'll have a big bash planned for Lee's first birthday as a Daddy. Hopefully we can execute!

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Today we saw we only had 50 days left until December 21! 50 DAYS!! The feeling of impeding panic, excitement, and relief all balled into one is what we felt today. Poor Lee is getting so anxious. He just wants to hold his baby girl.

We received a gift of 2 books in the mail today from Mary Jo. One of the books is titled Walter, the Farting Dog. I wish everyone could have seen Lee's eyes light up when reading the title. After hearing a 30 minute long story about how he had planned for months how to get a BB gun when he was eight to seeing the pure delight while he read about a dog that farted, I realized I truly married a boy at heart. I am constantly rolling my eyes at him and calling him a dork (probably what would have happened had we met at the age of 10), but I love every moment watching him relive his boyhood. Cora has a great Dad.

So, we (mostly I) decided the nursery needed a few changes. One, I really wanted a white a rug. Two, we had to find a new chair. I absolutely hated that wretched glider I mistakenly bought on Craigslist. So, now we have both. We replaced the red rug with a white version in the same style. The red rug moved to the living room. We also bought the Poang chair from Ikea. It is fantastic. It doesn't rock or glide, but it bounces. I have already used it to put Cora to sleep. I think it will work fantastic! Here are some pictures.

The changing table is in desperate need of organization. I am getting there. I need to come up with some savvy ideas for storage and organization since we are lacking a closet in this room. I have some storage boxes to store rarely used items under the crib. I am absolutely obsessed with this room. I could spend all day in here just looking. Tomorrow, Eva and I are going to the fabric store to get fabric for crib sheets. I plan to finish up my cleaning tomorrow morning, so I can work on the bird mobile. Maybe I'll get close to finishing and that can get hung soon. Keep your fingers crossed!

Last, I want to leave you with a picture or two of Cora's coming home outfit. I think it is just darling. It has been sitting out waiting for her to put it on for a couple months now. Only ~7 more weeks. Eeek! Where has the time gone?

This second picture is for pure entertainment for myself. I have started to notice my belly getting in the way of daily activities more and more. Somehow, it managed to sneak into the picture here.

We hope everyone had a fantastic and safe Halloween. I am especially looking forward to Thanksgiving (hmm, I wonder why...FOOD). Edmonton still has no snow! I can't believe it.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Well, I made it past October 24th!! I passed my candidacy exam with "light" conditions. I need to do some extra reading since I flubbed a very straightforward question. Oops. I guess pregnancy brain kicked in at that exact moment. Cora was such a good baby. She slept through the whole exam and stayed off my bladder. I can't believe she already behaves! ;)

Today marks a very important day for Lee and me. Today is the first day of our 8th month. We have exactly 8 weeks left until our estimated due date!! In fact, he is in the kitchen making me halibut enchiladas right now to celebrate. We saw the doctor on Thursday and Cora's growth is right on track. He was even happy with my weight gain...28 pounds!!!! I was a little shocked because I am still getting around very well. I don't feel like I've gained almost 30 pounds. Lee took a couple pictures of my belly tonight.

As you all can tell from the previous posts, I love to brag about my talented friends. I am so lucky to have so many people who are a part of this pregnancy. My dear friend, Eva, took up quilting not too long ago. Seriously, the picture I am about to show you guys is her second quilt. Every time I look at this quilt, it takes my breath away. Her talent is unbelievable. So, without further ado, Cora's quilt from Eva:

Finally, I wanted to put a picture up of Lee on his last fishing trip. This will be his last fishing trip B.C. (before Cora). He was at Lake of the Woods in Ontario and had an absolutely fantastic time catching walleye, crappie, and muskie. Here is a picture of him with a walleye. Nice fish, eh? And, lucky for me, he brought lots home to share. Mmmmmm!

Monday, September 29, 2008

I know, I know. I swore up and down no more posts until after October 24. Well....I lied. The first part of this post is a Youtube video.

Granted, it is not about pregnancy. But, it should be. This is why men do not have children. My friend, Lindsey Buchheit, and I have a theory about the role of husbands during the nine months of pregnancy. Husbands, boyfriends, significant others, partners, etc tend to get very whiney and helpless. This is a very natural way for women to prepare caring for infants before the baby is actually ever born. The woman is forced to tend to her very, very "sick" husband for nine months while she is at least 20 pounds heavier, every spot on her body is aching, has ached, or will ache, she is exceedingly exhausted, and she probably spends at least a third of those nine months hovering over a toilet. Jump forward to labor and delivery. Dear husband suddenly gets better but now the poor wife gets to turn around and care for a truely helpless infant. Talk about being well rehearsed! It makes so much more sense to me now. ;) Oh, and this whole idea of men being "sick" (having pregnancy symptoms) while his wife is pregnant isn't a myth. It is known as Couvade Syndrome and is well studied.

P.S. Lee, I still very much love you. Even despite your 6 month cold and your need for a Snoogle. :)

The picture I am posting was a fun photo op that we just had to take advantage of. Lee thinks I have the world's best beer belly (uhhh, thanks?). Just call me Homerette Simpson! Hahaha. Note the shirt. Yep, that's a shout out to our past beer drinking times at good ol' UW! GO POKES!

Thursday, September 25, 2008

When we realized we only had about 100 days before Cora's arrival, we decided it was time to get the essentials for the nursery. I am not allowing myself to do any more work on the nursery until after my candidacy exam. So, come October 25, back to nursery. In the meantime, if Cora shows up unexpectedly, we'll be ready enough.

Here are a few photos of our work in progress.

Lee putting the crib together

Wardrobe (makeshift closet) for all the cute clothes cousin Mya has given her

Change table and some necessities. Check out the awesome painting our friend, Steph, made for us!!

The rug we picked out. The glider is going. I hate it. The computer is also finding a new home.

One more close up shot of Steph's painting. Isn't she amazing??

As you can see, there is little left to do. We need a diaper pail and to stock the change table a bit better. My dear friend, Eva, is going to teach me to sew. That way I can make some sheets for the crib. She also found this great pattern for making a wall mural of fabric ABC's. I am also in the process of making a bird mobile. And, I have a wall decal of a tree I really like. So, most of what is left to do in the nursery is for me and Lee, not really Cora. As long as she is dry, warm, fed, and loved, I think she'll be happy. :)

Oh, we received a shipment of approximately 759 onesies/sleepers/newborn outfits from Grandma Brandis today. So, now, we have lots of clothes to put away too. Thanks, Mom! I love them. (Thanks also to Mya who was kind enough to quickly grow out of her clothes so her cousin could get some use out of them).

I swear this will be the last update until after my candidacy exam. Unless of course I take another belly photo. Then I'll be sure to post that. ;) See you all around Halloween!

Monday, September 22, 2008

Lee and I are about to embark on the greatest adventure we have yet to take. No, we're not traveling to a cool place nor are we moving...yet. We have decided to go down the road of parenthood. Lee and I are expecting a baby girl in December!! WOW. We don't think two people could be more anxious and excited to meet this little girl.

Since Lee and I thrive off taking the road less traveled, life with a baby should be fun. We constantly daydream about all the cool places we'll be able to go. We have no intention of "changing" our current lifestyle. Yes, people are always telling us nothing will ever be the same. Duh! But, wouldn't it be immoral and downright mean to not allow her to participate in our crazy adventures?? Of course we'll have to plan a bit better... :)

This blog is being created so friends and family can enjoy Cora as much as we already are. We are following in suit of one of Lee's cousins who has started a blog about her little girl. It is insanely fun to read. We are not going to focus much on Sascha's pregnancy, but more so on Cora. The blog will be a bit slow until December. However, we will post belly pictures so everyone can see how big she is getting.

We hope you enjoy the blog.

Here is a brief update on the last 6 months.

We found out on our 2nd anniversary that we were expecting. It was by far the best gift we could have given each other. I failed my final exam in statistics the next day, but for the first time ever my grades didn't matter to me. I did still pass the class...barely.

That last few months have been exhausting. But, really, I have loved every second of it. I don't know if Lee will be able to say the same thing. He has put up with so much and has been so loving through every mood swing, ache, and frustration. I know this little girl will be a healthy baby because he has made me laugh every day. It has to feel good to her when my belly shakes from uncontrollable giggles. She will, no doubt, be born to a world of smiles.

We found out at the end of July that we were expecting a girl. I couldn't believe it. I was 110% sure it was a boy. We had already picked out a name for a girl.

Cora Madison

Cora stems from the Coral Sea in Australia where we honeymooned (picture Sascha took while snorkeling in the Coral Sea). Madison is after the Madison River in Montana. A beautiful river with lots of good trout fishing. At one point, she was going to be Cora Sydney. Sydney after Sydney, Australia. Yes, we love Australia. When Lee mentioned Madison for a middle name, it stuck. We both loved the name and knew that was "it". We did have a boy name picked out. Nicholas "Nick" Bridger. Lee loves the name Nick and Bridger was after the Bridger-Tetons in Wyoming. Maybe some day we'll be able to use it. :)

We have been feeling her move since early July. I could sit for hours watching my stomach waiting for her to move. We agreed my belly resembles a popcorn machine. She is growing so fast. About a month or so ago, I cried the whole way to school because I thought she was growing up too fast. I just kept envisioning the first day of kindergarten, then highschool graduation, then college. Oh, I am not ready for that. Lee thinks I am crazy. We'll see who is crazy when the 1st day of kindergarten comes around and we both call in sick to work because our eyes are puffy and swollen shut.

For starters, here are a couple videos of our little pearl. These were taken when I was 19 weeks along. Who do you think she looks like?? I have completely dissected the videos, so I am curious to see what other people say.

About Me

I am a graduate student in biology at the University of Alberta. I have been married to the man of my dreams for 6 years. We welcomed our most beautiful baby girl to this world Dec 23, 2008. She is the reason I have started this blog. On Apr 29, 2012, our incredibly handsome son was born. My kids are the reason I continue writing this blog. They are my world.